The stethoscope is one of the most commonly used medical instruments, and is often used by a doctor to listen to heart sounds and the sounds produced by the breathing of a subject. The stethoscope typically comprises a small receiver (e.g. a bell or diaphragm) that is placed against the subject's body and hollow tubes that transmit the sound detected by the receiver to the ears of the user.
Electronic stethoscopes are available that use a microphone to record the sounds inside the body, with the sounds being output to the user via a speaker.
Typically, when using a stethoscope a subject is required to breathe as deeply as possible to ensure that the breathing sounds are audible to a user of the stethoscope. However, some subjects may not be able to take sufficiently deep breaths, particularly those subjects that are unwell with a condition that affects their breathing.
There is therefore a need for an improved stethoscope apparatus and method of processing breathing sounds that addresses this problem.